Line guide means for air brushes



April 10, 1956 H. L. SHELTON 2,741,222

LINE GUIDE MEANS FOR AIR BRUSHES Filed March 13, 1955 2 z A SljgVENTOR.

flfiiwff M ATTORNE United States Patent 9 LINE GUIDE MEANS FOR AIR BRUSHES Harold L. Shelton, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 13, 1953, Serial No. 342,258

2 Claims. (Cl. 118506) This invention provides a line spacing and line guide attachment applicable to air brushes now on the market, and also to the combination, with said attachment, of a specially constructed straight edged bridge member easily maintained by one hand of the operator in the proper position for slidable contact of said attachment therewith, while his other hand grasps and operates the air brush. The operator is thus enabled to make truly straight lines of air brush spray of the desired widths and spacing.

The air brush attachment provided by this invention slips over the nozzle portion of the air brush, said attachment having a side portion which is deeply notched to slip over the color cup stem, thus securely maintaining in the proper position the applied attachment.

When the attachment is not required to be used to perform its air brush guiding function it can, nevertheless, be allowed to remain in place upon the air brush without interfering with the use of the latter.

The specially constructed bridge member provided by the invention is so contoured that the color cup carried by the brush does not obstruct the operation of the device, as it might if the brush were used without the attachment.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to expedite the work of air brush artists and to furnish them with a better mechanical aid for making the straight-line and parallel sprays often required in mechanical retouching and illustration.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred, reduced to practice embodiment of the invention,

Fig. l is a perspective view disclosing the complete device and illustrating its operation.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the device showing the same partly in elevation, additionally illustrating the operation thereof, and showing a fragment of the support for the artists work. i

Fig. 3 is a perspect ve view separately showing the part of the device which is detachably mountable upon the air brush to be guided thereby.

Refering in detail to the drawing, the set of two cooperating parts provided by this invention comprises a clip 5 attachable to the delivery end portion of an air brush 6, and a bridge member 7.

Said clip, best shown in Fig. 3, comprises a sleeve 8 which is open at both ends, but is contracted as indicated at 9 at one end, the interior surface of said contracted end portion of said clip fitting around and abutting the deliver end of the air brush shank 6 when the device is in its applied position as best illustrated in Fig. 2.

Owing to the fact that the air brush 6 is provided with an arm or projection 10 which supports the color cup 11, the clip 5 is provided with a longitudinal slot which extends a considerable distance into the wide open end of its sleeve portion 8 so as to unobstruct the application of the clip to the delivery end portion of the air brush. At its opposite end said clip is provided with an angular or recessed lug 16 which projects from the aforesaid 2,741,222 Patented Apr. 10, 1956 contracted end portion of the clip both longitudinally in relation to the sleeve portion of the clip, said slot and lug being spaced ninety degrees apart in relation to the circumference of the clip. Said lug has in it a rectangular recess 17 which cooperates with the aforesaid bridge member 7 in a manner presently to be described.

By preference and as shown the sleeve portion 8 of the clip 5 is provided integrally with an exterior, longitudinally extending rib or ridge 19 which reinforces the part of the clip from which the lug 16 projects.

The aforesaid bridge member 7 comprises an elongated, rectangular Lucite strip 20 having a split piece of ribbed rubber tubing 21 adhered or otherwise secured to one of its side edge portions in such a manner as to prevent said edge portion from slipping or marring the surface of the artists Work 22, said strip 20 having its opposite side edge portion grooved with a groove 23 into which is fitted and secured by adhesive, or otherwise, one edge portion of a narrow metallic guide strip 24. Said groove 23, as to its depth, inclines as shown in relation to said strip 20, so that, during the use of the device, the metallic guide strip 24 is additionally uptilted.

Along one side of its grooved part (the upper side when the device is in use), the Lucite strip 20 is beveled with a bevel 25, so as completely to unobstruct the sliding movement of the recessed part of the clip along the bridge member 7. In Fig. 2 the artists work, which may be a photograph 22, is shown resting upon a fragmentarily shown support 27. A spray line 28 is shown on said photograph.

The illustrated clip 5 is designed to fit the two most popular types of air brushes and when not in use can remain on them when they are used for work not requiring the aid of said clip. The metallic guide edge member 24 carried by the Lucite strip 20 is preferably made of steel for long wear and ease of operation as the air brush is guided back and forth.

The clip 5 and bridge member 7 are deemed to be new articles of manufacture and may either of them be separately made and sold.

in the operation of the device the line guiding bridge member 7 will be held with its metallic guide strip 24 in an elevated, parallel relation to the spray line 28 to be made, and while held in that position the air brush will be reciprocated with the recessed part of the clip 5 sliding back and forth along the outer edge of the metal guide strip 22. The height at which said metal strip is maintained above the level of the work being done will determine the width of the sprayed line made. During operation of the device the rubber sleeve 21 will rest on the surface of the work. The brush should, during operation, be held at such an inclination and rotational position that the outer end of the metal strip 24 will contact only with the inner part of the recess 17 in the angular lug 16.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement of parts of the illustrated embodiment thereof, without exceeding the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A line guide means for air brushes comprising a hollow cylindrical sleeve adapted to fit over the nozzlecarrying end of an air brush, said sleeve having guide means disposed closely adjacent to the nozzle of said air brush, a straight edge guide member comprising a body portion, a substantially cylindrical rubber strip mounted along the bottom edge of said body portion, and a smooth guide strip mounted along the top edge of said guide member, the guide means of said sleeve slidably engaging said guide strip for reciprocal movement therezi'ailong tof' .directztiheffiowmflmaterial from the nozzle of 7 said air brush in a straight line.

2. The subject matter oiclaintl, the body portion of 7 said guide member being formed of plastic material and Jones Dec. 26, 1899 Terry June 4, 1907 Nunamaker Dec. 21, 1909 Nunamaker Oct. '11, 1910 Curran Janfl, 1929 ..7.-. Dec; 1; 1942 

